Mobile phone customers across the UK are being warned about a sophisticated scam in which fraudsters call victims pretending to be their network providers, leading to high-value handsets being delivered to their homes 'by mistake' and then sent back directly into the criminals' possession.
How the Scam Works
BBC Radio 4's You and Yours programme revealed that people are being contacted by phone, and then expensive phones they didn't order arrive at their homes. The fraudsters then instruct victims to put the phones in a bag and post them on, while the genuine phone company thinks the customer ordered the devices and adds them to the bill.
Presenter Winifred Robinson explained: "Thousands of people are receiving top of the range phones they didn't order after being contacted by people they thought were from their phone company but who were in fact criminals. What happens is that the phone arrives and the criminals instruct their victims to put their phones in a bag and post it onto them. Your phone company, meanwhile, thinks that it was you who ordered these phones and adds them to your bill. It's a large-scale fraud - nearly 30,000 expensive phones were stolen in this way last year alone. Many people didn't realise they'd been scammed until the phone bill arrived."
Victim's Account
One listener told the programme that she had recently been in touch with Sky about reducing her monthly payments when she received a follow-up call that appeared to be from the same company. She recalled: "He was very helpful on the phone - he got the bill down. Then about three days later, I was on some step ladders on the wall, taking some ivy down. I answered my phone, the woman on the phone said it was Sky offering me 20 per cent off your bill."
The victim explained she was offered a complimentary smartphone after providing her email address and date of birth - before the conversation concluded. Several days later, a brand new Samsung handset arrived through the post alongside earphones. The mobile was valued at £1,200 with the earbuds worth £200.
She continued: "Later that day, a frantic phone call from the same woman - I recognised the voice and it was the same number on my phone. She said, 'I'm so sorry, there's been a problem at the depot. The phone and the earbuds were meant for another customer. I'm going to send you a QR code. Please can you take them down to the post office and send them back. And to say sorry we will send to £300 of Tesco vouchers.'"
QR Code Scam
The victim took the items to her local post office, where they were scanned, a label was printed and the goods were sent off. The QR code had originated from a WhatsApp account bearing the name 'Sky Return'. Shortly afterwards, a second parcel containing the same items turned up — prompting yet another phone call, and the victim once again sent them back.
Another call from the woman followed: "She was screaming down the phone, saying I hadn't returned any of the phones, they were going to take all the money from my account and I'd stolen the phones." The very next day, she got in touch with Sky directly, only to discover that nobody from the company had called her apart from during the original conversations about her bill.
One person told Reach: "I had a call from Sky saying they wanted to cut my bill as so many customers had changed. They asked for my email address then said they'd sent me a pin code which I gave them. I then realised they hadn't really given me any proof - so I immediately rang off and changed my passwords straight away. They'd got access through my stupidity, but I cut them off."
Fraudsters Going to Doorsteps
In some cases, the fraudsters have even shown up at victims' front doors, posing as delivery drivers claiming they needed to collect the handsets, You and Yours reported — though this particular method relies on QR codes. The QR code linked to the aforementioned scam was traced back to a terraced house in South Liverpool.
A similar incident involved Tesco Mobile, where the target was informed that 3G was being discontinued and that they needed replacement Sim cards. They were presented with an offer on an Apple iPhone and watch — which the individual declined, yet both devices arrived regardless. Shortly after, the QR code was sent through. She made her way to a Tesco Mobile store, where staff told her they had come across hundreds of similar scams.
Victim Jenny noted down the product ID codes before handing them back, allowing the company to block their activation in the UK. Both Sky and Tesco Mobile confirmed that the two individuals had been targeted by fraudsters.
Advice for Consumers
Reporter Catherine Earlam warned: "If you're interested in an offer, put down the phone, and call back your genuine provider to check and beware of QR codes on items you didn't order."
